“James Pearce delivers encouraging update to lift Liverpool fans ahead of Spurs showdown”

 

 

Liverpool fans have received some encouraging news from James Pearce ahead of their Premier League clash with Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday. While the victory over Brighton last weekend brought immense satisfaction, it was slightly overshadowed by Dominik Szoboszlai being forced off in the final 15 minutes after suffering an ankle injury from a heavy landing while avoiding Kaoru Mitoma’s slide tackle.

 

Initial reports from Hungary earlier this week suggested there was no serious damage, and optimism is growing for his availability in London. On Wednesday, The Athletic reported that the 25-year-old has responded well to treatment since the Brighton match and is hopeful of being cleared to play against Spurs. Pearce shared the report on X, calling it “positive news.” Liverpool’s medical team will continue monitoring him and will make a final decision on Friday. If he isn’t ready, he is expected to return for the Wolves game at Anfield two days after Christmas.

 

Meanwhile, Joe Gomez will miss Saturday’s fixture due to a hamstring injury, though it is considered relatively minor, while Jeremie Frimpong is close to returning to full training after a two-month absence. Szoboszlai’s potential availability is especially important with Mo Salah away at the Africa Cup of Nations, and the possible absences of Gomez and Frimpong could see him even covering some minutes at right-back, though Conor Bradley is back from suspension.

 

It’s also worth noting that Szoboszlai is one yellow card away from a suspension, but if he avoids bookings in the next three Premier League games, the threshold for a one-match ban will rise to ten yellow cards for the season. This means that if he receives his fifth caution in the Fulham game on January 4, he would still be available for the Arsenal visit four days later.

 

For now, fans will hope Szoboszlai is cleared to feature against Spurs on Saturday and can replicate his goalscoring performance from last year’s 6-3 victory in north London.